How to buy the
Right Microscope

Build Your own Microscope

NOTE: The "Build-a-scope" has been replaced by the new 3088 Premium which offers nearly all of the options below and adds a few more.

Most schools, hobbyists, and others are happy with the standard Observer microscope.   But, every so often, someone wants to change a feature or two.

Now you can design your Observer the way you want it, then we will build it for you!

You'll select the chassis, head, lighting, and a few other details that suit you most, and we will take care of the rest.

You'll want to read up on the Observer student microscope to learn the basics, and then our "How to Buy the Right Microscope" for more details.  Having done those things, you'll be ready to design!

Have fun!  There are quite a few possibilities!

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Chassis | Head | Lenses | Lighting | Accessories | Check Price | Secure Ordering

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Select a Chassis:

The Chassis is the frame upon which the rest of your components are built.  Each is constructed of strong, durable alloy, with fine components such as metal focus gears, as well as condensers, stages, and diaphragms as described.  

The chassis price includes a certain level of components (objectives, head, lighting).  Some component selections will raise the price of the whole microscope, other will lower it.

	Standard $229 Base Price	Four position nosepiece Iris diaphragm Focusable 1.25 NA condenser on spiral mount Separate fine and coarse focus Stage clips Filter holder (with green and blue filters) Accommodates objectives up to 100xr (Yielding up to 1000x) This is the chassis found on our Observer III & IV.
	Economy $199 Base Price	Three position nosepiece Disk diaphragm Fixed .65 NA condenser Separate fine and coarse focus Stage clips Accommodates objectives up to 40x (Yielding up to 400x) This is the chassis found on our Observer IId.

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Chassis | Head | Lenses | Lighting | Accessories | Check Price | Secure Ordering

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Select a Head:

	Monocular +$0	Includes 10x wide field eyepiece with built in teaching pointer.  Included in chassis price.   This is the standard head on our Observer Monocular Student Microscopes.
	Teaching +$79	Similar to the monocular head, but with one more eye tube coming straight up from the top of the scope.  Includes 10x wide field eyepieces, one with a teaching pointer.  Useful in schools, homeschools, and for photography.

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Chassis | Head | Lenses | Lighting | Accessories | Check Price | Secure Ordering

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Select your Objective Lenses:

	4x, 10x, 40xr +$0	Three Objectives, included in chassis price.  DIN Achromatic, color coded.  Effective magnification with 10x eyepieces is 40x, 100x, and 400x.	. .
	4x, 10x, 40xr, 100xr +$50	Four Objectives.  DIN Achromatic, color coded.  Effective magnification with 10x eyepieces is 40x, 100x, 400x, 1000x.  Immersion oil included for use with the 100x oil lens.  Economy chassis not suitable for 100xr lens.

"xr" indicates that the lens is retractable, protecting the lens and slide.  The other lenses are shorter and would not normally come in contact with slides.

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Chassis | Head | Lenses | Lighting | Accessories | Check Price | Secure Ordering

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Select your Lighting:

	Fluorescent +$0	Included in chassis price.  Cool 7 watt fluorescent bulb provides even, consistent lighting.  Replacement bulbs are easily found in most locales (at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.).
	Halogen +$0 (Limited time no-charge upgrade)	This is the type of light that you normally find on professional microscopes.  The 15 watt halogen bulb has a rheostat for intensity control.  Fully dimmable to reduce light and heat.  This is the highest intensity choice, and is recommended with binocular, but available for other head styles as well. No charge for a limited time (normally $35).
	Cordless LED +$55	This great portable option provides an array of high intensity LED lamps, powered by rechargeable NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries (charger included).  Runs eight-hours or so on a three-hour recharge.  Additionally, it may be run from the charger even when the batteries are dead. A unique feature of this cordless system is a "blaster button" which can increase light intensity when viewing a darker or thicker specimen, or when viewing at higher magnifications. This lighting system generates no measurable heat, except when recharging, and is a great way to go for those wanting to take their scope with them. The LED bulbs are rated for tens of thousands of hours of usage.

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Chassis | Head | Lenses | Lighting | Accessories | Check Price | Secure Ordering

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Accessories:

These accessories included with your scope:

Spare Bulb (except with the LED version), Dust cover, Filters, Mirror

Select your slide kit:

	PLUS Blank +$0	Blank slide kit included at no extra charge.  Click title for details.
	Super Blank +$18	$18 upgrade gets you our Super Slide Kit. Click titles for details.

Additional accessories:

	Mechanical Stage (+$35)	An add-on mechanical stage. This nice addition to your scope holds the slide and facilitates moving it with two knobs.
	Experiment Book (+$9)	The "World of the Microscope" from Usborne Books is a tremendous resource for those wanting to get the most out of their new microscope. It is has 64 pages of full color illustrations and instruction, and is an indispensable text for the young microscopist.

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Chassis | Head | Lenses | Lighting | Accessories | Check Price | Secure Ordering

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Click the button, and you'll see the price and features of the microscope you have built.  Of course your microscope will arrive fully assembled and tested.

To start over or design some more, just click "Remove" then your back button.

$12 shipping in the continental USA.  
$35 shipping to AK, HI, and most of Canada.

Secure Ordering:

Once you have built your scope the way you like it, clear your cart one more time, then add the scope to your cart using the Check the Price button, and carefully check the details. Check out, and we will take care of the rest!

If you wish to order by toll-free fax or by mail, go ahead and use the shopping cart system. An option will be given to print your total order for faxing or mailing.

Phone Ordering

Click for information on ordering by phone.

• Purchase orders over $500 can be faxed to us at (800) 556-8270 for approval. Please prepay for purchases of $500 or less.

• We ship by UPS Ground. Shipping time estimates (subject to availability).

• In a hurry?  Give us a call, and we'll see what we can do.

• Shipping costs are higher to Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada.  Email us your zip code for rates.

• International Shipping available.  Click HERE for details.

• We accept Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express, as well as PayPal, Checks, and Money Orders.

• Quantity Pricing is available.